


Merosity

by Meicdon13



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Pre-Canon, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 07:24:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12743715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meicdon13/pseuds/Meicdon13
Summary: Greg might have been the first human Rose Quartz fellinlove with, but he’s not the first she’s ever been fond of. Pearl can remember all of them, even after Rose Quartz has forgotten.





	Merosity

**Author's Note:**

> Initially I wanted the humans to be a mix of men and women but then _Mr. Greg_ happened and in [_It’s Over, Isn’t It_](http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/It's_Over_Isn't_It) Pearl specifically says, “I was fine with the men,” so I took that to mean that all the _humans_ Rose’s ever been interested in have been men.
> 
> Thanks to rosefox for the beta o/
> 
> hmu: [twitter](https://twitter.com/MtBlackBear) • [dreamwidth](https://meicdon13.dreamwidth.org/)

The first human is a sacrifice from a nearby settlement, meant to honor the Crystal Gems. Dainty with pale skin, he’s tied to a tree at the base of the hill where the Gems have built their home, left for the “new gods” to do whatever they wanted with him. Pearl scoffs at the notion. It’s been a thousand years since the Gems have settled down on Earth and it still feels like humanity has barely evolved.

Rose Quartz makes flowers bloom and smiles as she tucks them behind the boy’s ear, or summons her sword and shield to display her strength. Garnet thinks it’s all very sweet and she watches everything with eyes that shine with happiness for their leader, convinced that Rose has found something similar to what she has.

But Pearl knows better. Rose never lets the boy inside the temple and doesn’t tell him the truth about what they really are. Instead, Rose bends and twists trees together to make a simple hut near where they found him. She brings him food and water but only spends a few hours a day with him.

It’s as if Rose is treating him like a pampered pet. That is the only reason that Pearl does not worry about him too much. She ignores the small voice that whispers that she’s afraid that he’s too much like her—something pretty but ultimately of little consequence—and that he could easily take her place now that the war is over.

He dies during the winter. Rose mourns his passing, laments the fragility of humans, wonders if she should have let him stay inside the temple with them for the cold months. But it doesn’t take long for things to go back to the way they were before. The boy is very rarely mentioned. Pearl decides to keep it that way.

*****

The second human is almost as large as Rose, ridiculously muscular and, in Pearl’s opinion, a complete brute. She finds herself thinking almost fondly of the first human once the second one barges his way into their lives. He’s loud and full of himself, always trying to show off his meager human strength. Rose indulges him even though she can probably lift him up with one hand.

The man acts overly familiar with the rest of the Crystal Gems, slapping Garnet on the back when he finds something particularly amusing, throwing a careless arm around Pearl’s shoulder when he wants to point out something to her. Garnet doesn’t really mind and Rose thinks it’s wonderful that he’s so comfortable with them.

Pearl takes to disappearing on solo missions whenever he comes around, but she spends less time tracking down corrupted gems and more time trying to ignore the ever-growing frustration at the back of her mind. Rose’s new human is nothing like her—he’s confident and sure of himself and relaxed and easy-going. He’s always living in the moment, never lost in his head the way Pearl gets sometimes when she worries and frets. 

A war breaks out among the humans and the Crystal Gems decide to leave the area to avoid it. Rose doesn’t ask the man to leave with them. It doesn’t matter because he decides to stay and fight. Pearl doesn’t watch them say goodbye to one another, pretends not to notice when Garnet gently squeezes her shoulder.

*****

The third human wants to know everything about where the Crystal Gems have been. It feels like every time he opens his mouth, he’s either asking about their travels or complaining about how he’s never been anywhere, stuck in his small village and doomed to a life of boredom. It’s enough to make Pearl feel like she’s going mad but Rose answers all his questions with a smile and endless patience.

He doesn’t last long. One day he declares that he’s going to go and see the world, going to gaze upon the sights the Gems’ have seen with his own eyes. For a moment, even Pearl is impressed by the sheer passion that the human has but in the end, she’s still glad to see him go.

*****

The fourth human reminds Pearl of the third one, in a way. But instead of being consumed by his love of exploration, this one is capable of spending hours upon hours reading books, his adventures limited to the writing on a page.

The way Rose treats him reminds Pearl of the first one—fond but slightly detached in some way. But unlike the first human who had tried so hard to get Rose’s attention, this one seems content to quietly read in the same room as her, limited conversation or interaction taking place.

He is quiet but he is always _there_ , tucked away into a corner. Pearl loses count of how many times she just suddenly notices his presence, wondering just how long he’s been there. She doesn’t want to think about how his silent admiration, his seeming need to be around Rose, reminds her of her own.

The fourth human lasts the longest. They see him grow old and withered, hair turning white and skin wrinkling with age. At some point, his eyes grow too weak to read his precious books so Rose sits beside him and reads them out loud.

He passes away in the middle of a story and Pearl ignores the small pang of sadness at the loss of what had become a fixture in their lives.

*****

The fifth human has ridiculous amounts of hair and creates horrible sounds that he passes off as music. She doesn’t understand why the others like him so much, but then again, she didn’t like any of Rose’s humans so it was just par for the course.

He proclaims, loudly, that he’s going to stay in Beach City. It shouldn’t make Pearl nervous but it does. Even though all the others had hurt, a part of Pearl always knew that she just had to endure and then they would one day be gone. But there’s something different about this human, this Greg. Something that scares her in a way that she’d never been scared before.

Pearl watches him dancing with Rose on the beach and feels very alone.


End file.
